People's Biodiversity Register

Thazhakara Gram Panchayat of Kerala has published the second volume of People's Biodiversity Register (PBR). Thazhakara has become the first Gram Panchayat in Alappuzha to update and publish PBR with the participation of local communities. 

People's Biodiversity Register

• As per the Biodiversity Act, 2002, one of the main functions of the Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) is to prepare the People's Biodiversity Register in consultation with local people.
• It involves the documentation of biodiversity, including conservation of habitats, landraces, folk varieties and agricultural practices, domesticated animal and micro-organism breeds, and chronicling the knowledge related to the biodiversity of the region.
• This register contains comprehensive information about availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or other uses or any other traditional knowledge associated with them. 

Step-by-step process for preparing PBR

• Formation of Biodiversity Management Committee at Gram Panchayat level
• Organize a meeting to sensitize people about the objectives and benefits of the process
• Provide training for identification and collection of data on biological resources and traditional knowledge related to health.
• Data Collection
  • Data collection includes review of literature on natural resources of the districts and conducting Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) at village level.
  • It also includes household interviews, personal interviews with village leaders and knowledgeable persons; household heads; heads of Panchayat Raj Institutions and NGOs and direct field observations.
• Data analysis and validation in consultation with Technical Support Group and BMC.
• Preparation of People's Biodiversity Register (PBR).
• Computerization of information and resources. 

Importance of PBR

• To provide access to information on traditional knowledge of local biological resources and their medicinal or other uses.
• To provide a database recording the names of species and their distribution in a particular area as well as the traditional knowledge of people and the status, use, history, ongoing changes and factors driving these changes in the biodiversity resources of their areas.
• To provide information on current use patterns of biodiversity and its economic benefits to local communities.
• To serve as a source of baseline data for future management strategies required for sustainable use of biodiversity in a decentralized manner.
• To facilitate equitable sharing of benefits arising from commercial exploitation of biodiversity resources and knowledge of their use.